Prior to tonight's FA Cup Third Round tie at the Emirates, I was slightly unclear in my mind whether the match represented an unwelcome hindrance to Leeds, in view of their league woes, or whether it would be a pleasant diversion, permitting the team to operate without the usual pressure, or rather with a different set of pressures to normal.
On paper, the team fielded by Simon Grayson looked comparatively attacking in nature, although this was probably forced on him by the club's daunting injury list. I thought to myself, very optimistically, that this was a bold move, designed to ensure that, one way or another, Leeds would not be encumbered by the prospect of a replay. Arsenal were not totally at full strength, but still looked formidable, with bounteous options on the bench, including one Thierry Henry.
In the event, the Leeds line-up was not allowed to express itself, because from the outset Arsenal settled into their familiar pattern of retaining possession, and creating elaborate passing movements. This was not unexpected, but Leeds contained them, and weathered the early "storm", such as it was. In those early minutes, Leeds displayed little in the way of attacking thrust.
The best effort which Leeds could muster in the first half was a shot over the bar by Luciano Becchio, on 23 minutes. He could probably have done better.
On the whole, however, Leeds defended solidly and quite resolutely in that first period, repelling whatever was thrown at them, although admittedly this was not very much.
In my notes at half-time, I speculated whether Arsene Wenger would make changes at the interval, as Arsenal desired a replay even less than Leeds. Their efforts on goal had been restricted mainly to long range shots and a few tame headers. As it turned out, the pivotal substitutions did not occur until later...
The sight of Henry warming up early in the second half appeared to spur the Gunners on, although Andrei Arshavin continued to be wasteful in front of goal.
"Attritional" may be the best term to describe the Leeds performance immediately after the break, save for an early surge down the right-hand side. Arsenal gradually began to pose a more sustained threat, and Leeds were forced back more and more.
Of course, the crucial intervention was made by that man Thierry Henry, brought on just before three-quarters distance, along with Theo Walcott. The way that these things tend to pan out, it was almost inevitable that the returning legend would get his name on the score-sheet!
As the North London team pressed more , they left a few gaps behind their defence, but Leeds were unable to exploit this, or capitalise.
On balance, Arsenal deserved their victory, for playing the more enterprising football, and having the lion's share of the attempts on goal. They made all the running, even if they looked laboured at times.
So where does this leave Leeds' season? Well, they are out of the Cup, which is never a good outcome. On the other hand, there is no replay to clog up their fixture list, and some aspects of this evening's display, such as the resilience and organisation which they showed, might instill some badly needed confidence and morale. We shall see....
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